Here's the beef: Kobe Classic may be incredibly expensive, but the taste and tenderness is like none other

Over the years I've committed many delightful culinary acts
in the privacy of my home, all to satisfy an insatiable desire to
transform ho-hum beef into something that makes me want to scream
with joy.

Over the years I've committed many delightful culinary acts in the privacy of my home, all to satisfy an insatiable desire to transform ho-hum beef into something that makes me want to scream with joy.

On one occasion I turned my second fridge in the basement into a meat locker to dry-age premium beef for two weeks. I'm happy to report that it did indeed concentrate the flavours and tenderize the flesh (although it wasn't without personal sacrifice, as all those displaced beverage cans and bottles had to go someplace else).

Two or three times a year I also like to brine Triple-A Alberta beef for up to a month in a solution of salt, spices and a little sugar before smoking it all day on my Big Green Egg. Let me tell you, it makes my heart go pit-a-pat: My smoked brisket is fall-apart tender and better than anything I've tasted outside a delicatessen in New York City or Montreal.

But when it comes to sheer elegance, I've discovered that simplicity is sometimes best. And for that, you must start with the best beef you can think of, which in my book has to be Kobe Classic raised right here in Canada.

Cut an inch thick, a medium-rare Kobe Classic rib steak seasoned only with garlic, salt and pepper is so good it makes you want to shout out loud. The bad news is, it's also frightfully costly.

Sparing no company expense, I recently plopped two sample boneless rib steaks side-by-side on the gas grill at home. I bought them at Saslove's Meat Market in the Byward Market, the only retail outlet in Ottawa so far that carries Kobe. (Best to call ahead, 241-9266, to reserve or order specific cuts.)

You can also sample Kobe at a handful of area restaurants, including Luxe Bistro in the Byward Market, Social restaurant on Sussex Drive, the Hilton Lac Leamy and Cafe Henry Burger in Gatineau. Again, call ahead to be sure it's on the menu when you plan to dine.

One of my test steaks was a premium Triple-A Alberta cut that sells for $12.99 per pound ($28.65 a kilo). The challenger was a Kobe Classic at $68 per pound ($150 a kilo).

You can pay up to $79 a pound or $175 a kilo for Kobe tenderloin, but I didn't want to be extravagant.

At those prices, you might well wonder who buys the stuff. People with tons of money, that's who. "Anyone who wants to try something different," says John Diener, owner of the store.

"Obviously, it's a fairly affluent customer. A lot of people want to try something new."

By far, my Kobe sample steak had a much more meaty, buttery taste and velvety texture than the regular Triple-A. But for that kind of money, you can really only serve it to someone very special on a very special occasion. (The phrase tantric long weekend comes to mind.)

Kobe beef, you may recall, was the key ingredient in the winning entry last February at the annual Byward Market Stew Cookoff, where Luxe Bistro executive chef Derek Benitz beat out 17 challengers. Luxe took first place in both the Judges and People's Choice categories.

Mr. Benitz has obviously had good luck with the stuff, so I asked him to come up with new recipes, here, using cuts of premium Kobe beef. These recipes were developed with help from his sous-chef, Evan Pritchard.

Of course, you can substitute regular premium beef if you don't want to mortgage the house, or aren't planning a weekend to remember. If you do, choose nothing short of Triple-A Alberta, sliced thick. Avoid the regular beef in the supermarket that's cut way too thin and is, in short, too tough for human consumption.

Kobe beef is a high-end product -- a cross-breed involving Japanese Wagyu animals --produced by a co-operative network under Wagyu Canada Inc. based in Camrose, Alberta. They've been shipping this beef, shrink-wrapped and boxed, to retail outlets for more than seven years now. It's been available to the public in Ottawa for only a few months, however.

The Japanese have classified the genetics of the Wagyu breed as a national treasure, which prevents any export of live cattle or semen. But in one bizarre account on the Internet, four Wagyu bulls were apparently smuggled out of Japan in 1976 on a jet plane to the United States (don't know exactly how you'd hide four bulls on an airplane, but never mind ...) and the rest is cross-breeding history.

Now in Canada, Wagyu cross-bred animals are on feed for between 500 and 700 days. A special feeding program designed to resemble the Japanese style includes oats, barley, beet pulp, alfalfa pellets, barley straw, soy meal, canola meal, salt, minerals and fresh water.

Popular lore has it that the pampered Wagyu cattle in Japan are lovingly massaged with sake and fed a diet that includes copious amounts of beer. While that may have once been true in Asia, and it certainly makes for a fun story, the reality is that massaging and beer is more myth than fact these days as the happy beasts are fed a natural diet.

The specialized treatment produces beef that is extremely tender and well-marbled with fine ribbons of fat throughout. Where the highest-quality USDA prime and Canadian prime contains between six and eight per cent fat within the ribeye muscle, the highest-quality Kobe has between 20 and 25 per cent.

"It's like making fine wine -- it takes care and time," says Pat McCarthy, who owns Wagyu Canada with his wife, Kimberley.

Although there are no Kobe producers in Ontario, Mr. McCarthy says he does have one candidate in Gatineau who may be willing to raise between 20 and 50 head.

"The reason why it's expensive is because of the time you spend raising the cattle," he says.

"It takes up to five times longer to raise Kobe than regular cattle. The other factor is that our volumes are small and we are boutique. We also run a hormone-free and antibiotic-free program. And we've never fed these animals any animal byproducts."

At the bistro, Mr. Benitz says he likes to serve the less-expensive cuts of Kobe, if only because few customers if any would pay upwards of $80 a plate for steak. "It's stupidly expensive if you want the prime cuts," he says.

"The prime cuts, in my opinion, are simply not worth the money. We've tried New York strip, the filet and the ribeye and we just felt for that kind of money, we could get better value with Sterling Silver prime Canadian beef, which costs about half as much.

"So we did our homework and decided some cuts of Kobe are worth it. For grilling, I like to use Kobe flank or skirt steak; for braising, the short rib and Kobe stewing beef are outstanding. It's all about the marbling where the fat is evenly distributed, which melts beautifully when braised," Mr. Benitz says.

"Kobe is tender beyond belief, and has very rich flavour. We also use ground Kobe, which has a richer and more meaty flavour."

Give it a try some time, and you too may have a tantric taste experience.

1. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and form into patties, being careful not to overwork meat.

2. Preheat grill and barbecue until burgers reach an internal temperature of 160 degreesF (71 degreesC). Toast burger bun. Spread Wasabi Mayonnaise over bottom on bun or kaiser roll. Place Kobe burger on mayonnaise and top with Shiitake Mushroom and Ginger Relish, then garnish with fresh watercress for crunch.

1. In a large casserole dish, combine all ingredients for marinade. Place ribs in mixture; cover and marinate ribs in refrigerator for at least 2 hours, or overnight.

2. Remove ribs from marinade and pat dry. Reserve marinade. Season ribs with salt and pepper and sear on grill until golden brown.

3. Place ribs in a single layer with marinade and veal stock in a roasting pan (liquid should come 2/3 up sides of ribs); cover and bring to a boil, then roast in preheated oven at 325 degreesF (160 degreesC) for 2 hours, or until tender, adding veal stock or water if necessary to prevent drying out.

4. When done, remove ribs from oven and strain roasting sauce into a medium saucepan. Set aside ribs, covered, at room temperature.

5. For the sauce, simmer strained roasting liquid to reduce to sauce consistency. Adjust salt and pepper just before serving.

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